Millennials no more narcissistic than previous generations - study

Those who say millennials are the most narcissistic and entitled generation to ever exist are wrong, a new study shows.

Despite people decrying the rise of social media, selfies and smartphones for creating a selfish generation, there is no proof this is the case.

The research from the University of Auckland found no evidence that millennial New Zealanders are any more narcissistic than previous generations, and nor are they any more entitled than other generations were at the same age.

The study is the first ever to investigate narcissism in New Zealand. It tested people's 'psychological entitlement', a trait associated with "emotional instability, aggression, selfishness and disagreeableness".

Study author Sam Stronge said that while the study found no evidence of an increase in entitlement among young people, there was actually a slight increase for those aged 65 and over.

"That is what we call the 'La Dolce Vita' effect, retired people feeling they have worked hard and now deserve to reap the benefits of that," Ms Stronge said.

The study also found that men were on average more entitled than women.

The Auckland University study was based on data from 10,000 New Zealanders aged 19 to 75 using the National Attitudes and Values Survey (NZAVS), and tracked changes over the past five years.